Die Another Day
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Death has a funny way of coming back to bite you when you least expect it. Having lost the fourth shinobi war, Uzumaki Naruto is content to do just that; to die and pass on to the afterlife. Unfortunately, the Shinigami has other plans for him. Plans that involve righting the wrongs of the past, restoring a broken clan to power and creating a family all his own. Narutoxharem?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have no idea where this idea came from. I was literally working, minding my own bussiness, when I overheard someone mention Back to the Future. I wasn't all that interested, but when I heard the line "Great Scott!" an inkling began to form. Incredibly, this story was spawned merely from hearing that infamous line. I'm not quite sure if this idea has been done to death, but I at least wanted to try my hand at it.**

**...hope you're satisfied! =D**

_"Great Scott!"_

_~Uzumaki Naruto_

**Herald**

**"Greetings, mortal."**

Uzumaki Namikaze Naruto opened sleep gummed eyes and promptly snapped them back shut. Hanging before him against the endless white was a creature straight out of nightmare; its golden black eyes framed by a wave of white tresses, bleached of all color, deathly white, from which two horns of crirsom peaked. Palid, purpilish emaciated skin, ribs exposed beneath the robe. A dagger clenched firmly between its jagged teeth, its lips pulled back in a ghastly grin. He wanted to deny it, to refute its existence, but there could be no mistaking it.

_Shinigami._

**"Do not close your eyes."** Unbidden, the last Uzumaki watched his lids snap open, forcing him to regard the imposing apparition once more. A cold chill shot down his spine at the sight of the spectre looming before him, one he quickly quelled. If he was going to hell, then he'd at least face his afterlife with dignity.

"Oh, its you."

**"Rise."** the reaper intoned.

Naruto grunted, propping himself up on his elbows. So he really was dead, then. Funny. He'd always thought death would've hurt more. Not that his death had been painless mind you; using the Shiki Fūjin to seal away Madara's soul had been anything but painless. He'd known there would be pain; that even should he succeed nothing but hell awaited him in the afterlife. He'd known this from the beginning. It was a tenuous _desperate_ last resot and although he'd failed to seal Obito in the bargain, he still considered it a victory.

Honestly, it was still something of a miracle he'd even managed to get his hands on one of them at all; with the Jyuubi flinging menacing balls in nearly every direction, he considered himself lucky to have accomplished half of his mission at all. Even with an undead/immortal body, nothing could've protected his immortal _soul_ from being plucked from said body and sealed away. Granted, he'd lost an arm and a leg in the proccess but a win was a win in his book.

Uzumaki Naruto had left the world of the liviing knowing that, while he may have failed to preserve the lives of his friends and family; he'd managed to take the man responsible for their deaths, with him in the end. He could take some small solace in that fact, at the very least. He was sorrowed to have lost so many, with nothing to bring them back.

_If I could do it over again..._

**"The world as you know it is coming to an end, mortal."** The reaper droned on, dragging out each syllable with the deep double timbre befitting of an entity of its stature. **"You may have sealed the one known as Uchiha Madara, but his legacy lives on. Already there is an imbalance in the souls I have come to collect. Yours is among them."**

"You think I don't know that?" Naruto allowed a single tear to slip from his eye, to plink back into the white, into oblivion. "We failed. _I_ failed. The war is over. We lost." Because they _had_ failed. The Shinobi Alliance had been all but decimated. All but the Raikage were dead. Madara might be gone, but Obito had likely gained possession of the remaining bijuu by now, his own included. His only regret was that he hadn't been able to try and drag Obito with him to hell. That man deserved to burn in the ninth circle for the crimes he'd committed in the name of his so-called peace! Not that there was anything more to be done about it.

_If I had another chance..._

Even with Kurama's power, he wouldn't have been able to stand up to three Uchiha at once by himself; his one regret was that despite his best efforts to make it otherwise, his final sight before death had been that of Uchiha Obito, the last sound that of his determined growl that the Moon's Eye plan _would_ come to fruition no matter what he-Naruto-did, that he'd at most delayed 'peace' by preventing the world from being cast under an infinite, endless genjutsu.

And Konoha...

...Konoha was gone.

What more did the reaper want from him?

**"Unacceptable."**

"Oh?" Naruto creaked open a broken iris, regarding the spectre of death with blank indifference. "What does it matter if its acceptable or not? They won. We lost. There's nothing I can do to change it now, so just let me croak already. Besides, its not like I've got anything left to live for. Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan, baa-chan, Neji, Hinata, Shikamaru...they're all dead. I already know I won't be joining them. You might as well devour it now. My soul, that is."

The shinigami stared at him for a long moment, as though weighing its decision. If it was going to eat him, he just wanted it to be over with already. But the shinigami did not devour him. Instead its gaze became aloof and distant; as though it t'were peering at something many leagues in the distance.

**"There is an imbalance."** The reaper repeated. **"I cannot allow this to stand."**

Inwardly, Naruto bit back a groan. He had a bad feeling about this...

"Can't allow what to stand?"

The shinigami rounded on him with a hiss of breath.

**"The Uchiha's genjutsu."** Was its growling reply as it spun away from him. **"With so many under its spell humanity no longer fears death; nor are there any souls left for me to reap. Unacceptable. This transgression cannot-shall not-go unpunished." **White robes whistled soundlessly as it wheeled around to face him again, golden eyes ablaze. **"Mortal. What are you thinking in this instant?"**

"Heh?"

**"Your thoughts." **the reaper repeated.

"I was thinking of-" Naruto bristled, the rest of his sentence left unspoken. He'd been contemplating what he'd done wrong; what he could've corrected if he had a second chance; a fresh start._ A second chance._ At first the reaper didn't seem to register its words; its unholy eyes shrinking to mere pinpricks of brilliance. Suddenly and without warning, it reached a clawed hand up to its hair and yanked down. _Hard._ Naruto didn't have a chance to protest; he could only gag as his soul flowed from reaper's mouth, and into his own; pouring life back into his body. Sensation flooded his limbs as life returned to them, enabling his body to move properly as he wished.

**"This one would ask a boon of you mortal; u****ndo what has been done." **

_"Heh?"_

**"I shall return to you the ****_Yin_ chakra of your **tenant, bequeathed to me by your father." It decided after a moment's consideration.** "Be thankful." **Before Naruto could protest, the shinigami removed the knife from its mouth and, without warning, plunged it to the hilt in its stomach. Gore squirted out of the wound; wrenching Naruto's stomach from within, though the wound was not his own.

"W-What the hell are you doing?!" He gawped as the shinigami dragged out a milky-white substance from its stomach that looked succintly like...was that a soul?! Without a word, the reaper drapped its essence across his prone form, suffusing his body in a warm glow from his head to his toes. He struggled to his feet, gawping as the nine tails chakra flared about his body, only to vanish an instant later. He could feel the power of his tenant rushing through his veins; the only abscence was its concsiousness.

**"There."** The shinigami took the knife between its teeth once more. **"Your chakra is restored to you. Use it well and wisely."**

"I don't want it!"

**"Oh?"**

Like an iron trap, the Shinigami's gaze locked onto the shinobi's own. The sheer intensity of its stare, the sudden ice in its expression, was enough to silence the blond. Nothing moved. Nothing at all. And then it spoke, voice black as pitch, eyes cold as the coldest winter.

**"Your soul is already in _my_ domain, mortal."** The shinigami rumbled. **"It is now _mine_ to do with as _I_ please. You have no say in the matter. Regarding that, you, will require more than just the chakra of your tenant to succeed in your mission. Much more." **Naruto felt his stomach twist in disgust and revulsion as the reaper plunged a long-fingered hand deep into the gaping wound in its stomach; driving its arm to the elbow as it sought something within its innards. Naruto looked away, unable to bear such a sight. Rather, he tried. Something in those golden-black orbs riveted him, forcing him to look on as the shinigami finally found what it sought.

Abruptly it stilled, its cold eyes locking upon Naruto.

**"Prepare yourself."**

"Prepare myself for whaaaaa_aaaaaargh!"_ Naruto cried out in pain and surprise as the scalding liquid struck his eyes, searing itself into his retina. He doubled over in utter agony; it felt like someone had plunged burning brand into both his eyes! They burned! Oh dear kami did they _burn!_ "You-what the hell did you just do?!" He glowered at the shinigami, or at least, what he thought was the shinigami; everything was so blurry he could barely make out coherent shapes.

The reaper laughed; it was a deep, throaty sound.

**"Behold yourself and the blessing I have given you, Uzumaki Naruto."** It paused, contemplating. **"Or perhaps I should call you_...Uchiha Naruto?"_**

The reaper beckoned, indicating the reflective surface that served as the ground at their feet. Naruto followed its direction and _balked_ alarmed to find a stranger staring back at him. His blue eyes were _gone_ darkened to almost charcoal, his hair having faded to black as well. His skin was a tad paler than he remembered it being, having lost most of the luster it'd gained over the years. It was still his face; whiskers and all, but even as he looked on those faded, diminished in the wake of this strange transformation. He scarcely recognized himself. His visage was still his own somehow, only not. Thankfully, the voice that emerged was still his own; if that had changed he would've lost his mind.

"W-What have you done?"

The shinigami offered a rictus of a grin.

**"Consider it proof of my trust in you."**

"I look like a fucking Uchiha!"

**"That was my intent." **the godlike entity replied. "**Your existence as Uzumaki Naruto will pose a hindrance to the task I have assigned you; thus, you are Uchiha."**

"Oi!" Naruto hissed out in a fierce whisper. "Cut the crap! I don't give two _shiiiits_ if you're the reaper or not! Don't go changing people's faces without asking, ya know! I don't want this! And I sure as fucking hell don't want these damned eyes! Madara's eyes! Now change me back right now or-

**"Or?"** the reaper met his ire with a flat stare and licked its lips. **"If you'd rather I consume your soul here and now, then by all means, I shall do so."**

Naruto blanched, his resolve wilting in the face of this threat. While it was true he'd accepted his demise, he wasn't all that eager to enter into the belly of the beast. If there was something-anything-he could do to right the wrongs made by Madara and his twisted ideals he should jump at the chance, right? But he was tired. Oh so very tired. Tired of fighting. And if the shinigami really was about to return him to the land of the living, it would be his one chance; his only chance; a chance to make things right. A chan from the land of the dead

**"You will act in my stead."** the apparition continued on unheeded,** "But on one condition: you must undo the damage that has been done. Right the wrongs of the past; correct the mistakes of the old generation for the sake of the young. I will give you as much time as needed. But know this; if you fail your assigned task you will suffer the consequences of your actions. Should you falter, your deeds will be known to me. Should you hesitate, I will come for you. Should you perish: before completing your assigned task, I will devour you; trapping your soul in my stomach until the end of time. This is our pact. This, is our contract. But we have tarried in limbo too long. There is work to be done, and you are the one who must do it."**

"Don't I get any say in this?" Naruto groaned.

**"None!" **The reaper growled. **"Now be off with you!"**

"Now wait just a damned min-

* * *

_-ute!"_

Naruto blinked and the white was gone. In its place hung a full moon, peeking out beyond the rim of the clouds, gazing upon a sea of trees below. Falling. Falling! He snarled in surprise, flinging a hand out to snare the nearest branch in his grasp, his fingers wrapping around the damp pines like an iron vice. Grunting as he struggled to arrested his momentum, the former jinchuuriki tethered himself to the tree with chakra, sticking to its surface as one would the ground.

He hung there for a moment, his senses still reeling from the sudden drop in pressure.

"Oi, oi," he grumbled to himself, at least drop me on solid ground, ya know? He frowned up at the moon; evidently Obito had yet to enact the Moon's Eye Plan. Inwardly, he heaved a sweet sigh of relief. Thank kami in heaven. There was still time, then. Time enough to find that prick of an Uchiha and drag him down to hell! _Then_ he would find Sasuke, beat the ever-loving crap out of him and...Hmm?

_What have we here?_

Taking a moment to orient himself, he caught sight of a telltale flicker of movement only a few feet below his perch. Stilling his breath he waited until they were past before taking stock of them. Three grown men, and one girl with strikingly scarlet hair. She couldn't have been more than four years younger than him, placing her near fourteen or fifteen years of age. He couldn't see their faces as their backs were to him; even so he'd doubted he would've been able to make them out in the gloom. Still, something struck him as odd.

Though the group of shinobi encircled her, suggesting they weren't, in fact, an escort after all, her hands were held behind her back. Why would anyone walk like that? A knot of rope around her wrists merely confirmed his suspicion, as did the hands of the man who held it. Kidnappers! Naruto's mind raged, torn between reluctance and resistance. Did he really have the time to play hero right now? For all he knew, Obito was preparing the Moon's Eye Plan even as he dithered here. Eventually anger won out; he felt his eyes begin to burn as he watched them creep further and further away, blissfully unaware of his prescence.

That didn't last long.

He descended feet-first from the trees, dropping like a wraith toward the head and shoulders of the straggler, the one holding the rope. There was a brief moment of tense silence; the man's knee's buckling beneath his sudden and unexpected weight his fingers falling slack around as he reached up to remove the obstruction. By the time he'd realized his own peril Naruto's hands had already closed around his mouth and face, mufflling his cry of pain, as his knees struck the damp earth.

The jinchuuriki felt no pity for his victim; a viscious twist of the wrist and he was gone, the life leaching from his eyes before his body could touch the ground. Naruto bolted upwards from the corpse and lunged forward, hoping to take the reamining shinobi by surprise. And for a moment, it seemed that he would. Both men still had their backs to him; they were yet unaware of the sudden demise of their compatriot; ignorant, that their captive had slowed her pace to a near crawl behind them. Naruto dared to hope he might yet escape from this scuffle unscathed and continue on his way. His hope shattered as a small squeak pierced the air. Both men rounded as one, a brace of shuriken flying from their fingertips in the time it took a lesser man to blink.

Thankfully, Naruto was not a lesser man.

In the time it took the girl to squeak in surprise he'd already dropped flat to the road; the deadly throwing stars now whistled harmlessly over his head. As the last of the lethal projectiles whisked themselves by he was already in motion, lunging into the moonlight, throwing himself between the men and their captive before they could even comprehend his prescence. Beneath the light of the moon. he was finally affored a clear picture of her captors, and they, him. Their faces weren't even remotely worth mentioning, although they did stiffen as he stood to his full height.

"Oi oi...the hell do you guys think you're doing?!" Naruto growled, recognizing their hitiate as belong to Kumogakure. "Doesn't your Raikage have better things to do than kidnap little girls?! We're in the middle of a war for crissakes!" he balked as the two remaining cloud shinobi exchanged a glance, took one look at him, then at his hitiate, and drew their kunai.

"Shit, an Uchiha!" One of them exclaimed.

"Hey! I'm not an-

"Kill him!" cried the other.

A muscle jumped in the blonde's jaw.

"Try me!"

* * *

_"Gwah!"_

The last of her abductors toppled backwards, gurgling as he clutched at his now broken windpipe with both hands. Naruto contemplated him a moment longer savoring his stricken expression, before a roundhouse kick smashed into his now unprotected stomach. A third and final blow put him out of comission altogether, sending his body careening through the undergrowth. Naruto watched himfall and had to visibly bite back a laugh at the ease with which he'd dispatched his opponents. And to think they called themselves shinobi? Their movements were slow and predictable it was almost laughable. No, it _was_ laughable!

He needn't have killed those two, but with those injuries, they wouldn't be waking up for a good long while.

A soft whimper abruptly reminded him of his place.

"U-Uchiha...

Naruto rounded on the voice with an exasperated hiss, his eyes wild...and stopped. The redheaded girl was looking up at him with something akin to shock...or perhaps it was awe? He couldn't be certain of it in the dim light. He was, however, certain that she was looking at him.

"Oi, I'm not...

He frowned down at her, the words dying on his lips as he caught a glimpse of himself in a nearby puddle. Sinister scarlet orbs stared back at him, ringed by a single tomoe in each iris. _Sharingan._ Naruto bristled at the sight of the cruel crimson eyes, unable to accept that they belonged to him; to the sinister visage staring back at him. So it wasn't a dream after all. The shinigami really had fucked with his DNA; apparently that angry outburst earlier had been enough to unlock the vaulted eyes of the clan. Not his clan. _Not!_ Naruto refused to think of himself as one of those stick-up-their-ass avengers, even with his newfound powers and appearance going hand in hand.

_Damn you to hell shinigami!_

He contemplated the quivering kunoichi-she had to be at least a genin-for what felt like an eternity. Clearly-judging by her hitiate-she was from Konoha. But why would Kumo try to kidnap someone so suddenly? There was a war on, for the love of kami! What possible purpose could the kidnapping of a single soul serve? Ah, hell. He had to at least try and get her back to Konoha. She didn't look to be in any real shape to make it back on her own anyway.

"Hey...you alright?" he asked.

She continued to stare at him, her mouth agape. Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes, when next they opened he saw no hint of the accursed copy-wheel in them. "Hello? Anyone home?" Scowling, he waved a hand before her face, eliciting a slow series of blinks. Doubtless she was still in shock over her recent release.

"How...

"Hmm?"

"How did you find me?" she asked softly.

"She speaks!" Naruto couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "As to how I found you...well, I guess you could thank your hair?" He didn't feel like explaining to her how he had literally fallen out of the sky. Still...there was something oddly familiar about this girl. But what was it? The eyes? Her hair? He couldn't quite place his finger on it...

Inexplicably, the girl flushed.

"You...You...followed me because of my hair?"

"Not just because of your hair." Naruto tried and failed to keep the grin from his face as he poked at her hitiate. "Because you're a comrade. You know what they say; those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum." As he looked on her cheeks continued to darken, as though heated by a furnace from within. Why was she blushing?

Shrugging, Naruto stooped to untie her, slicing through the knot binding her wrists with a simple slice of a kunai. The girl mumbled her thanks and rubbed at her wrists, still refusing to look him in the eye. Strange. She refused to look at him even after he'd saved her? It hardly looked as though she'd be walking back to the village, either.

Seeing no other way, he reached down and smoothly swept the genin off her feet as easily as a groom would his blushing bride. _That_ got a reaction out of her. The kunoichi sputtered in surprise, her face flaring a shade brighter than even her silky scarlet hair.

"Hey! W-Wait a minute!" she cried, "W-W-What're you doing?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto couldn't believe her gall; here he was trying to help her, and still she was being indignant! "You can't walk, so I'm carrying you." The girl grew still at this, her large eyes growing larger still. It was as if she were truly looking at him for the first time.

"What's your name?"

"Uzu-erm...Uchiha Naruto!" He instinctively ammended, cursing himself for using that cursed clan name. "And just who the might you be, chibi?"

The girl puffed out her cheeks in defiance.

"I'm not a chibi! My name is Uzumaki Kushina, dattebane!"

_Dattebane?_

Naruto dropped her like a hot potatoe. He felt color drain from his face; felt a cold sweat break out across his broken and battered body. Before his mind shut down, he understood two things. First, and foremost, this little girl was beyond any shadow of a doubt, his mother. Second, apparently when the Shinigami had tasked him to "right the wrongs of the past" he'd been speaking literally, as well as figuratively. Because this little girl was his mother and she was wearing a konoha hitiate _and_ he had the succinct feeling he wasn't in his own time anymore. Oh dear kami...

"Hey, are you alright?" The girl who would one day become his mother asked, "You're looking kinda pale...

And what did Naruto do upon realizing this, you ask?

_"Great Scott!"_

Why, he fainted of course!

**A/N: And there you have it! I don't recall ever reading a story where Naruto was dropped into this precise situation. He's already unknowingly messed with the timeline by saving his own mother! I hoped you enjoyed the "Great Scott!" bit there at the end! Now, I'm sure you're all wondering, why oh why did the shinigami screw with his DNA and give him Madara's eyes? Weeell for those of you who don't understand, just try and stew on this for a bit: Which clan has caused the most trouble in ALL of the timeline? The Uchiha.**

**Pairing is up in the air, but Mikoto is most likely going to be involved, although I will gladly take any other recommendations that are offered.**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**Review...would you kindly?**

**R&R! =D**


	2. Home is where the Heart is

**A/N: Wow! So many reviews! I had no idea ya'll liked this story that much! And to those who worried at Naruto having only one tomoe in his sharingan and the potential/eventual loss of his vision, due to the Mangekyo fear not. Its all part of the plan. A brilliant plan that does NOT involve blindness; one that will unfold over the course of this story; one I sincerely hope you enjoy! While we're at it, I'll address/confirm the age discrepancy as well. Naruto, being postwar, at the moment, seventeen years old, nearing eighteen; making him two years older than Kushina, who is _fifteen_. **

**Mikoto...hmm...since she was cannonically older than Kushina, I think its safe to assume she's around Naruto's current age. And for the third and final matter: Naruto's maturity. Naturally, he may be a bit shellshocked in the beginning, but he isn't going to be a naive blockhead in this story. Circumstances are going to force him to grow up; he knows he's been sent back for a purprose, so do not expect him to pussyfoot around when it comes to killing his enemies/fixing the mistakes of the past. I'm still not sure exactly whether he'll be all that merciful when he meets a young Obito...**

**Now that we've addressed allthose issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten more than 100 reviews for the first chapter alone! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys! And with that...**

**...onto the next chapter! =D I'm also going to address a slight discrepancy here; I do believe Kushina has the Kyuubi at this point, yes? The wikia seems to indicate it..**

_"My heart is black as night, my spirit slick as sin. You cannot fight me, you cannot catch me, you cannot win..._

_~?_

**Home is where the Heart is**

_"Hey, are you awake?"_

"Obito!"

Naruto bolted upright with a startled snarl, eyes blazing, fingers wrapping around the first thing within reach and dragging it forward. A tiny feminine 'eep!' sounded somewhere off to his right plucking him from the last vestiges of his nightmares at last second; one second too late. He found himself face to face with a young Uzumaki Kushina, her visage hanging perilously close to his own. Her cheeks were an incredibly bright shade of sweet scarlet; probably because she was sitting in his lap; her nose was brushing against his, lips dangling mere centimeters away...

_Oh. Shit._

Memories came flooding back, reminding him just why he'd been out cold in the first place. He had fainted. Fainted, because he'd realized the awful truth of the reaper's words: 'righting the wrongs of the old generation for the sake of the new' hadn't been a mere metaphor. They'd been literal! At first he failed to understand what he had to gain by going this far back in time; then reality hit. He could fix everything. He wouldn't lose his friends, or his family; nor his parents to Obito. That's right, He would find Obito and...wait, had Obito even been _born_ yet?

"Naruto-san...

Naruto bristled at his mother's words; he'd learnt enough about his youth to expect a painful blow in recompense for his temerity. But none came. To his infinite disbelief she turned her head aside, her eyelids drooping slightly shut in what might've been embarassment or...wait. Wait just a damned minute. She wasn't expecting him to-

"Y-You're hurting me." she whispered.

_"Oooh."_ Naruto forced himself to relax his grip, his teeth sinking into his lower lip until he tasted blood. That was close. Too close! Way too close! He'd nearly kissed his own mother! Although, looking at her now, it was hard to think of her as such; difificult to reconcile this blushing vixen only just entering into adolescence with the woman he'd met inside his seal. Did she already have Kurama sealed inside her, he wondered? If so, did the old fox retain any memory of him? Or had his mind been wiped clean, so much like everyone else? He ruthlessly resisted the urge to inquire about his former tenant; he knew from experience just how bitter the life of a jinchuuriki could be.

"Hey...

"Hmm?"

Naruto glanced down at his mother, mildly alarmed to find her still chewing on her lower lip, squirming restlessly in his lap. "Just how long do you intend to h-hold onto me like this?" Once more, he silently suppressed the urge to panic; although he had loosened his grip on Kushina's hand, he still hadn't let go of her waist just yet.

_Well, damn._

Naruto forced himself to retract his arm, allowing the kunoichi to skitter backwards and out of arms reach.

"Sorry." he muttered.

Determined to distract himself, the Uzumaki-turned-Uchiha hazarded a glance at their surroundings; taking in the small clearing they had apparently made camp in, the warmth afforded by the small fire burning behind served as their sole source of their illumination, thrusting their shadows against one another at odd angles. As he looked on, the flames flickered and grew dim. They couldn't have that now, could they? Drawing a deep breath in his lungs, he molded some chakra in his stomach, forming a single seal with his left hand. Kushina's gaze flicked toward him as he did so.

_"Katon."_

Without another word, he exhaled, expelling a thin stream of flames into the flickering blaze. Burgeoned by the fire, it leapt to life, brightening their surroundings considerable, a marked improvement on the dim lights offered earlier. When he returned his attention to the clearing, he found the kunoichi staring at him.

"A-Arigatou." Kushina whispered, wringing her hands together.

Naruto titled his head to the side, the universal way to go 'huh?' but the kunoichi only flushed ever darker.

"Hah?"

"Moh!" She exclaimed, her face flush with anger. "I'm trying to thank you for saving me back there, dattebane!"

_"Well excuuuuse me,_ _dattebayo!"_ Naruto couldn't help himself; the words_-alongside his verbal tic!-_fled from his lips before he could stop them. "Kinda hard ta tell when you're shouting at me, ya know?!" At these words Kushina stiffened, her eyes bulging so large, her son was certain they'd fall right out of her pretty little head. _Crap!_ Naruto's mind scrambled for an explanation; desperate to explain his verbal tic before his mother had a chance to put two and two together.

"Oi-

It was so ridiculous that Kushina could not hold back her laugh. When was the last time she had laughed? Certainly not since she'd come to Konoha; not since she'd become a genin. For a moment, Naruto looked at her like she was nuts, but when he realized she was laughing at his comment and _not_ at him, he grinned. Inwardly, he was taken aback; he'd been expecting confusion, not laughter!

"Ha!" Kushina covered her mouth as she snickered, fighting back another fit of giggles, "I thought I was the only who did that! Never thought I'd hear it from an Uchiha!" Despite himself, the former blond sweatdropped at the girl whro would one day become his mothe. Was she really going to accept such an implausible answer based solely on her own observations? _Ah, well._ he shrugged to himself, _Might as well play along..._

"Well, I'm not like most Uchiha."

"Yeah, I noticed." Kushina beamed, a bright smile lighting up the features of her face. "For starters, you don't have a gigantic stick up your ass!"

Naruto tried his best not to laugh; he really, truly did. But the moment his mother mentioned the words "stick" and "ass", it was all he could do to contain himself. He'd chosen those very same words years before in his youth to describe the antisocial tendencies of a certain avenger. For his own mother to throw them back in his face was simply too much for him to bear. He snickered, Sharingan flaring anew, in response to the sudden emotional outbutst. He half-expected Kushina to flinch at the sight of them; the redhead didn't so much as bat an eyelash.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked.

"Because its true!" Naruto guffawed, momentarily forgetting himself in his good humour. "The Uchiha _do_ have a stick up their ass!"

His mother looked at him like he was crazy; hell she probably thought he was!

"Hey, that's your own clan you're talking about there, 'ttebane."

"Yeah...?"

Naruto's laughter stilled in his throat as he caught sight of himself in a nearby puddle; gazing upon his reflection with intent. He cut an imposing figure in his jounin uniform, although he still loved the color orange, the war had been particularly unkind to his old jumpsuit, forcing him to give it up long ago. Before he'd lost everything. He pushed a hand through the shaggy raven mess that was once his blond hair, idly marveling at the man who stared back at him. Having been promoted to jonin shortly before the Jyuubi laid waste to what remained of Konoha, he'd garnered a considerable repetoire of ninjutsu, in addition to his already countless odd variations of the Rasengen and Rasenshuriken.

Looking at himself now, he couldn't help but wonder; would he still be able to use them? Would his contract with the toads exist in this time? Would he be able to use senjutsu? Hiraishin? His reflection offered a nervous smile in recompense for his temerity.

But it was his pair of blazing bloodline orbs that riveted him. Instead of a single mark in the sharingan, as he'd seen before, a pair of _twin_ tomoe circled angrily in each of his eyes, spinning with such speed they seemed little more than a black blur. He quelled them with an effort, but calming his troubled mind, did not prove nearly so simple. What the hell was going on here? He was certain there'd been only _one_ tomoe the last time he had looked...now there were two! Granted, he knew precious little when it came to the vaulted eyes of the Uchiha clan; what he did know came from mostly secondhand knowledge, and Kakashi-sensei. For a Sharingan to simply gain another tomoe without cause was unheard of.

Then Naruto remembered to whom these eyes belonged, and suddenly, everything made sense.

Madara's eyes were evolving on their own. They had to be. There could be no other explanation. A sudden thought chilled him to the bone. If they were indeed evolvingof their own accord, would they become the dread Mangekyo Sharingan on their own? Once-if!-he gained that, it was only a matter of time until he became blind. And, thanks to his "situation" he lacked a sibling or parent to swap eyes with...

"Naruto-san?"

The former blond blinked, jostled from his reverie by Kushina's concerned expression.

"Naruto," he replied. "Just Naruto will do."

His mother flushed.

"Th-Then Naruto...may I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"How old are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

Naruto nearly fell over.

"Seventeen." He answered, yielding his true age without thinking. "I'll be eighteen in a couple of months." _Assuming I don't get myself killed before then,_ he added to himself. "My turn." He peered at her a moment, his eyes intent. "You're...lemme guess, thirteen?"

_"Fifteen!"_ Kushina shot back. "My birthday was last week!"

Naruto managed a weak laugh.

"Um...happy belated birthday?"

Her anger seemed to abate a bit at that, her gaze softening as she looked upon him.

"..."

"What?"

"Its just," Kushina fidgeted, "You're one of the first to wish me a happy birthday since I came to Konoha."

_"Ha?"_ Naruto tilted his head aside, struggling to remember what little he did know about his mother. "You've gotta be kidding me. No one's wished you a happy birthday?" Kushina bobbed her head in acknowledgement to his words. It was all Naruto could do not to shout. From what she'd told him of it, her life in Konoha hadn't been particularly pleasant in the begining. But to think she'd not have her own birthday celebrated, just like him...was this too, because of the Kyuubi?

"Not since I left Uzugakure, no."

"Well, I'll get you a present when we get back, or something." Naruto viciously bit back the urge to clamp a hand over his mouth as soon as he spoke; he'd just overplayed his hand. In his desire to cheer his mother up, to banish her melancholy mood, he'd gone and risked making a fool of himself. Probably already had! Kushina stared at him with wide eyes, her expression torn somewhere between delight and disbelief. Eventually she seemed to settle upon the former, much to Naruto's eternal charign.

"You know what?" she decided suddenly, "I'm going to hold you to that. Especially since you're only the second Uchiha to be this nice to me."

"Who was the first?" he wondered aloud.

"Mikoto-chan." Kushina brightened as soon as she uttered the name. "She's my best friend. You'd probably like her."

_Mikoto._

Something stirred in Naruto's memory at the mention of that name. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. Hadn't he heard that one somewhere before? Surely he had. Ah, well. If the name was that important than he'd remember it sooner or later.

"Say...Naruto-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask you something else?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Naruto laughed lightly; it was so damnably strange talking to a younger version of his mother! That didn't mean he wasn't enjoying himself, though. After the horrors he'd endured with the Fourth Shinobi War, it was a welcome relief just kick back and relax, evne if only for a little while. At her crestfallen expression, however, he waved her on.

"Promise you won't laugh."

"I just singlehandedly saved you from three enemy shinobi." The deadpan was barely concealed. "I don't think I'm going to be laughing at you anytime soon."

"As I recall,_ you _also dropped _me."_ Kushina pointed out scathingly. "You also fainted the minute I told you my name!"

"Sorry for that." Naruto flushed in embarassment; he silently swore he would never, ever faint again, no matter how embarrased or surprised he might be. "Anyway, you wanted to ask me somethig?"

"W-Well yeah, 'ttebane." Kushina leaned backward on her haunches, looking anywhere but at him. "But this is just out of curiousity!"

Naruto sweatdropped. He didn't recall his mother ever being this evasive...

"Is there supposed to be a question in there?"

"Alright, alright!" The genin shook her head, her cheek burnished a sweet shade of scarlet. "I'm just going to come out and ask!" Naruto steepled his fingers and laid his chin upon them, doing his best to keep the smile from his face as she struggled to formulate her inquiry, his own embarassment forgotten.

_"Do you have a girlfriend?"_

Aaaaaaand there it was again.

This time, Naruto really did fall over! Of all the things to ask him, she asked _that?!_

Groaning, he dragged himself back onto the log, only to find Kushina eyeing him intently, her violet orbs piercing him where he stood. _Damnit. _Though she was easily two years his junior, he found he just couldn't bring himself to deny her when it came to questions such as these. He could've lied to her, vehemently denied it; but in the end, he chose the truth of a different sort.

"N-No." he admitted, the words buring in his throat. "I don't. Not anymore." Another half-truth. He'd _led _a brief and tenuous relationship with Sakura sometime after the war broke out; one that had begun shortly after Sasuke's death and ended far too quickly; cut brutally short by her death at the hands of Uchiha Obito only a month later. Yet another reason Naruto was looking forward to tracking down that sonova-bitch in this time and wringing the life out of his lungs. If that made him a murderer, than so be it. He just couldn't bring himself to forgive that asshole for killing the only girl he'd ever loved.

"Oh." She must've seen his murderous expression; because the inquisitive lilt faded from her eyes. "I'm sorry." she sputtered. "I didn't mean to-

"No, don't be." Naruto shook his head. "It happened a long time ago. I'm over it." No, he thought with a pang of regret, he was _not_ over it. Sakura's death still cut him like a knife at times; they could've had something special, something wonderful. That month, brief though it might've been, had been _the_ best month of his life. They'd been each other's first. There had been talk of starting a life together, of raising a family, when their war was finally over. And then Obito gutted her like a pig. He would never forgive him for that. _Never. _Naruto was normally a peaceful person most of the time-he was undertaking this, for that very reason-but for that man, he would make an exception._ A very painful exception._

"Was she special to you?" Kushina asked with renewed interest; now that she knew he wasn't angry with her, she seemed intent to milk him for every little detail. Naruto was happy to oblige her. It was always better to focus on the happy times than the dour, after all.

"Yeah." Naruto felt a wistful smile tug at his lips. "She was."

"What happened to her?"

**"She died."**

Kushina flinched. Naruto didn't blame her.

_"Moh, not there baka! That tickles!"_

Even now, he could still hear her laughter. He felt his heart lurch a little bit; although Sakura had long since passed, _the_ pain of that passing still surprised him sometimes. It was like a punch in the gut. A soft touch on his sleeve drew his attention. Naruto blinked in surprise, startled to find Kushina's hand resting on his own.

"I'm sure she loved you very, very much."

Naruto bit back a laugh. Ironic, that _he_ was the one being consoled here. By his own mother!

She didn't press him for details and she didn't tell him how sorry she was for his loss. She didn't berate him for pursuing the path of revenge in the first place. Since rescuig her only hours before, she had not even tried to pester him about what his true intentions were, which was more than a little puzzling. She just looked at him, with those overlarge violet eyes and held his hand. She was just there, supporting him in silence and not asking anything of him. Mystified, Naruto felt like she _understood_ a little of what he was saying.

He found himself intertwining their fingers just to see what it felt like.

"Yeah," he said.

After Sakura's death, the only time he really came into actual physical contact with other people in the future was when he was fighting them. That had been life with the Fourth Shinobi War. That was the life he'd lived after losing his love, a life full of loneliness and distrust. It was all he'd known for the last year of his existence. Feelings like those didn't fade away overnight.

"Must've been my smoldering good looks." he muttered to himself reflecting on his change in appearance. It was...difficult to accept he was here, trapped in the past, in a body he barely recognized as his own. _Difficult _but not unacceptable. Now that he _was_ here, could change things for the better; correct all those mistakes made, help all those who suffered. But he had to be careful. If he changed too much, if he altered the timeline with impunity, he might wipe out lives that had yet to be born.

Although he was still struggling to find a way to go about that.

"Come on." She rose and tugged on his hand, indicating a pair of sleeping bags she'd laid out near the firelight. "You should probably get some sleep, 'ttebane. We're going to have a long walk back to Konoha in the morning."

"Yeah," he said again.

He allowed her to guide him off the log and they broke their contact as they started walking. Her long crimson swished behind her with each step, drawing his attention. It almost seemed to glow in the firelight, like the color of blood. He thought it was beautiful. He'd always envied not having his mother's pretty crimson hair. It was all he could do not to reach out and touch it. Just a little...

"By the way, I think you are." Kushina spun to face him abruptly, tresses twirling about her in a curtain of scarlet. Naruto stiffened, his hand frozen in the process of reaching out toward her.

"Are?" he asked.

"Handsome, I mean."

The Uzumaki-turned-Uchiha chuckled, his spirits restored. He didn't mind accepting a compliment from his mother.

"Is that so?"

Kushina beamed at him, and her smile was like sunshine in the warmth of the fire.

"Lets get some sleep then, shall we?" She turned in place. "We're pretty far from the border, I think. We should be safe here." Her gaze flicked toward the flames in an unspoken question. Naruto nodded, stepping past her, eyes narrow with intent.

"I'll put out the fire." Without even thinking he flicked through a simple set of seals, drawing chakra into his stomach. Not for the first time was he grateful for expanding his repetoire of jutsu. _"Suiton: Mizurapa."_ With a brief exhalation he doused the flames with water, soaking the roaring blaze to its core. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the blackness, found that Kushina had already begun to tuck herself into the nearest sleepig bag, the smallest of smiles dancing on her lips.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." he could've sworn he heard her whistle in the gloom. "Its just, that makes three now. Wind, fire, and now water." Naruto allowed himself to arch an eyebrow; so Kushina _had _seen him use that wind jutsu during his earlier scuffle with her two captors. "Just how chakra natures _do_ you have?"

"Well, I'm a very skilled shinobi-

**_?_**

A flicker of motion in his peripheals brutally derailed his words and the train of thought, shattering his good mood like so much glass. Naruto frowned, his gaze shifting from Kushina, sliding across the clearing, tracking with the momvement. There! Lingering just beyond the light of the fire. A shadow. But not just any shadow. Human, crouched low and toward the brush, obviously intent on remaining hidden.

A shinobi.

_Shit._

Naruto gave no outward sign that anything was wrong; he merely kept his gaze trained on Kushina, all the while eerily aware of their soon-to-be attacker closing in behind them. It was only when he caught sight of the telltale flash of a Kumogakure _hitiate_ that he permitted himself a soft snarl.

_Shit. Shit._

"Naruto?" Kushina said his name, but she may as well have whispered to him for all the good it did. His mind was already working, trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong.

_Shit shit shit!_

He cursed himself for not realizing it sooner. Shinobi _always_ opertated in a four man cell. Always. He'd taken out three of them guarding Kushina, which meant the fourth had likely been on recon at the time. Well, if he thought he'd get him with his guard down, he would be sorely dissapointed. Slowly, the man pulled what looked like a giant shuriken from his back, commiting a few precious seconds to drawing the ungainly weapon. A slow smile plucked at the corners of Naruto's mouth. He'd been waiting for just that opportunity

_Gotcha!_ In the time it took the man to position the weapon, the former genin had already closed the distance between them, a faint draw upon what remained of the Kyuubi's chakra was more than enough. A kunai slid down his sleeve and into his awaiting hand; thrust forward now into the stomach of the stunned shinobi.

"Are there any more of you?!" Naruto hissed as he watched the light leave the man's eyes. "Answer me!"

His target sneered, lips quirking in a triumphant smile.

"Fool."

To the blonde's infinite dismay, the man vanished in a plume of smoke leaving a harmless log behind. _Substitution! _Even as he registered the feint, the dull buzz of a thrown shuriken reached his ears, resounding louder and louder with each passing second. Kushina's scream ripped through his ears life a knife. Kushina!

_She_ was their target!

There was no time to think; only for reaction. Naruto forcibly drew upon Kurama's chakra once more, willing the golden cloak to enfold his body, augmenting his already inane speed. He surged backwards from whence he came, sheering through entire branches in his haste, uncaring as they tored and slashed at his face.

_Please let me be in time!_

* * *

Try as she might, Uzumaki Kushina couldn't bring herself to understand what just happened. One minute she'd been chatting amicably with Naruto. She found she quite liked the Uchiha; he was smooth and easygoing, a good talker, nothing like the rest of his clan. He'd singlehandedly saved her from being taken to Kumo, where death or torture or worse awaited her. That alone, spoke volumes for his character. She still couldn't see why he'd fainted after she told him her name, but even that had become a fleeting thought once he'd opened up to her.

And she maybe...kinda...sorta...found him...somehwat attractive.

The next thing she knew her savior narrowed his eyes in consternation, spat a foul oath beneath his breath and darted into the black of the woods. At first, Kushina had thought she'd upset him. Then she heard it; the distinctive whump of a substitution technique. Her blood turned to ice in her veins. An attack? But they were supposed to be safe here!

The droning buzz of a massive shuriken filled her ears, shattering that misconception. Kushina yelped and staggered backwards, sparing herself a swift end. A warm ribbon of pained slashed across her shoulder as the deadly missile whirled past, leaving her stunned and shaken. Someone was screaming at her, but she couldn't hear them, her ears still ringing from her close call.

"Kushina!" Naruto's voice rang out from behind her flank, the fear and desperation in his words piercing her deafness, rooting her in place, "DOWN!"

Kushina had only the time to blink as a golden blur cut across her vison, knocked her to the ground in an instant and hurling itself atop her. And not a moment too soon. The Uzumaki-turned-Uchiha grunted in surprise as something sharp slashed through his jumpsuit and bit into his lower back; the unfamiliar edge of a massive shuriken burrowing into his flesh, nearly causing his arms to buckle; threatening to throw him forward and onto her altogether. A thin line of blood leaked between his lips, spattering onto Kushina's cheek. She gawped a at him, violet eyes wide, mouth frozen in an open oval. The words hitched in her throat, refusing to come no matter how much she might want them to.

"W-Why?" she whispered.

Naruto opened his mouth to speak; all that emerged was blood.

"Baka yarou," he hissed through clenched teeth, "You act like *cough* I needed a reason ta save ya." His lips quirked in a pained smile. "After all, yer the same as me. When I..." he bit off the word, "lost my parents, no one ever complimented or recognized me. Being the bad student I was, I...screwed up a lot during class on purpose...because I wanted to get everyone's attention. It didn't matter if they laughed at me, or cursed me. I couldn't get anyone's attention when I tried...so I acted like an idiot. It was like I was an outsider. You know how that feels, right?"

She _did_ know how that felt. For the longest time she'd thought herself alone. Mikoto was one of her only friends, even so, she was oft on missions and could't be there for her when she needed her the most. Like now, for instance. Now as she lay there, helpless to do anything but watch bitter tears well in his eyes. "It was tough. Right, Kushina?" he asked. "You were lonely, right? I'm sorry. You...shouldn't have to feel that way. I'll try to do somehting about that...this time...around."

Kushina's heart nearly leapt into her throat as he slumped forward, falling atop her, collapsing into her arms like so much dead weight. She wanted to weep as his eyes slid shut; had he just died in her arms? No! He couldn't die, not here! Not now!

_No!_

Kushina gasped in surprise as her eyes snapped scarlet and slitted, a soundless sob exploding from the back of her throat. She knew Kyuubi was taking advantage of her emotionally unbalanced state, using this chance this chink in her armor, to take control. Even so, she could't bring herself to stop him. Couldn't, as her hair stood on end, the crimson cloak creeping across her body, sheathing her like a second skin. _Hate!_ She couldn't think of anything else. She hated fate. Loathed it, despised it for giving her someone special, someone she could talk to, and then just as swiftly wrenching them away in the blink of an eye.

**_NO!_**

A red haze drapped itself over Kushina's vision, blinding her to all else. She felt the boiling chakra roil around her, twitching in anticipation of slaughter to be had. _There! _Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. The one who'd killed Naruto. _Murderer!_ She snarled at him and he gawped back at her, his mouth forming an open oval of outright disbelief. He took a small, staggering step backward. That was all he managed before she pounced, shrieking like a banshee. Chains of chakra-her one true talen-burst from her back, coiling forward even as she descended upon the kumo nin; a spectre of death and destruction.

Somehow, the man managed to draw his sword before she fell upon him, shrieking and spitting and slashing. It would do him little good. She felt cold steel bite into her cheek but once before her chains seized upon it and ripped it from his grasp, leaving him open to for her fingers-now claws-to rip through his white vest and into his stomach.

"M-Monster!" The man rasped!

**"Shut the fuck up!"** She screamed, baring her fangs in a sibilant snarl. **"I'll fucking kill you, _ttebane!"_**

Her chakra chains hit him squarely in the chest and slammed him back into a tree. He didn't scream, didn't cry out, but his mouth formed a tight grimace, and his eyes looked up at her, pleading. _Mercy,_ they seemed to say, _Please don't kill me._ Kushina wasn't feeling merciful. Her chains thrust deeper, driving through flesh and bone, pinning him to the bark of the tree, skewering his body. She held him under the arms, and looked into those eyes and watched the life drain out of them. Memories of loneliness flooded her and she felt the rage rise. Alone. She was alone again. The one person who had saved her, the only individual who'd shown her that smile, was no longer with her. He was gone. And it was this one's fault! Something inside Kushina twisted at the realization.

She raised a clawed hand, intent on carving up the kumo nin's corpse. She would slaughter him! Tear him to pieces! She'd-

_"Oi."_

A hand closed around her wrist, heedless of the scalding chakra searing into their skin. Kushina rounded on them ready to cut down her attacker. Instead she jerked back as if she'd been burned. _Naruto._ She found the Uchiha looming over her; peering down at her with intent Sharingan blazing into her crimson orbs. Scarlet met scarlet and the latter yielded. Relief flooded her like a wave, obliterating the rage before it'd any chance to mount any sort of counterattack. Bereft of a means to control her any longer, Kyuubi's chakra disisipated; evaporating around her like so much steam.

"He's dead." the Uchiha rumbled. "No need to carve up his corpse.

Kushina's eyes widened. She had not been expecting this at all. "But I thought—"

-I was dead?" Naruto arched an eyebrow. The corners of his mouth lifted, quirking into a wry grin. "Sorry, but I won't die that easily."

He was...alive? But his wound! She'd thought...

"Baka!" she sobbed, her fists curling feebly against his chest. "Baka baka baka! I thought you died! Thought you were dead"

"Nnrgh!"

Naruto doubled over in her embrace with a groan, touching a hand to his back. His hand came away covered with blood.

"You're hurt!"

"S' just a flesh wound." he chuckled, waving her concerns aside. "Don't worry, I'll heal."

"Whaddya mean you'll-

"Sh." He hushed her. "Let me have a look at you."

Naruto was painfully aware of what he'd done; in saving Kushina a second time, he'd unknowingly mirrored the actions of Iruka-sensei. But it was the truth. His mother was the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi before him; she had already suffered torment before it was sealed inside her. He felt a touch of guilt, at feigning his death back there, but he'd had no choice. That shuriken had been coated with poison; it had take time and a sizieable portion of Kurama's chakra to purge it from his system. But now he knew for certain. He need no longer ask Kushina Uzumaki if she was currently the container of the Nine-Tails.

Now he knew.

"You saw that, huh?" she seemed almost sheepish.

"I did." Naruto could already feel his back wound closing; evidently he'd retained his tenants regenerative properties. His hand however, proved to be another matter. He'd grabbed onto Kushina whilst she was wrapped up in Kurama's chakra; that one wouldn't be healing anytime soon. But that was neither here nor there. He'd expunged the poison from his system, he had to make certain Kushina' been able to do the same. Slowly, so as not to startle before

"Hold still." He placed a hand to her cheek, another to her shoulder, his palms radiating green light. "You've been poisoned. I need to draw out the venom." Sakura had, at his insistence, taught him some of her medical ninjutsu. He absolutely sucked at it most of the time, and it drained his chakra like no tomorrow but he at least knew enough to safely neutralize foreign toxins. She squirmed once she saw the ravaged state of his hand but complied all the same.

"Do you hate me?" she whispered as he tended her wounds. Her words were soft, forlorn. He would hate her. Just like everyone else did. Everyone except Mikoto...and even she didn't know the truth.

"What's this all of a sudden?"

"You saw it." Kushina pantomimed a gesture at her stomach, unable to quell the hopelessness starting to swell inside of her. "What I have...inside me. I'm a monster_-hey!"_ She cried out in surprise as the Uchiha seized her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. His coal black eyes were dyed with chakra, flaring the distinctive crimson color of his clan. His chakra...it felt cold. Like she was looking at someone else, staring into the eye of a complete and total stranger. His tomoe entranced her; spiraling hypnotically before her face, little more than a blur before her eyes. He gripped her tighter still, shoved his visage dangerously close to hers.

"Never," he hissed, words rough with anger, "Call yourself that again."

"But I-

"Never!" Naruto growled; his tone left no room for arguement.

"Why the hell would I hate you for something you're not?"

At his words, Kushina felt herself begin to break; all the barriers she'd built in her mind come crashing down around her ears. When the tears came, she couldn't stop them. This was all too much. Too much to hope for, let alone dream. In the span of only a few hours her life had gone from a lonely little existence to this. This! She hadn't expected anyone to look for her to begin with, let alone rescue her, and all because of her hated crimson hair

"Arigatou," she whispered, hugging him tightly, burying her face in his chest in a vain effort to hide away her tears. "Thank you so much, Naruto-kun." She felt the tension ease from his shoulders as she held him, felt him relax-albeit marginally-into her arms. His heart thudded warmly against her ear, a soft, reassuring rhythm that promised her all would be alright.

A sudden swirl of leaves broke that promise.

Kushina felt words leave her as a young man of roughly fifteen years or so emerged from a body flicker. His shaggy blond hair framed cold blue eyes, eyes that told the world he'd come here been expecting a fight. She felt her heart lurch at the realization. Minato had been following her, too. He'd come to save her. But he _hadn't_ been expecting someone to beat him to the punch. To her. She watched the emotions flicker over his face; confusion, suspicion, sadness, and...anger? It was gone too quickly for her to tell.

"Kushina, I-" He paused as his eyes fell upon Naruto, and her close proximity to him. His face fell. "Ah. It seems I'm interrupting something. I can always come back later if you'd like-"

"Minato!" she sputtered in surprise, scrambling to her feet. "When did you-

Naruto scrubbed his hand against bloodshot eyes, silently fighting the urge to simply pass out. Because this had to be a dream. It must've been a dream. He had to forcefully slow his hammering heart; both his mother and father were standing before him, arguing. It took everything he had not to embrace them on the spot. He chose to maintain his silence as the pair conversed; Kushina explaining all that happened between Naruto's arrival and Minato's. When she finished, he

"I don't think we've met." his father smiled wanly, extending a hand. "I'm Minato."

"Naruto." he clasped the youth's hand and shook, not trusting himself to give away his true surname; not at the moment. "Uchiha Naruto."

**"**Uchiha?" Minato's head tilted to the side slightly. "I thought you looked familiar...

_Familiar?_

"You must be mistaken." Naruto put on his best poker face. "I've never seen you before in my life."

"No, I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before." Minato argued.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto emphasized with a shake of the head.

"Minato, will you stop arguing with him, 'ttebane?!" Kushina snapped at the both of them. "Naruto-kun saved my life! So stop pestering him!"

Both boys bristled but for entirely different reasons; though they each knew better than to risk the wrath of raging redhead, Minato semed more hurt by it than anything else.

Naruto simply sighed in disbelief.

He was amazed with his own ability to keep a mostly straight face upon seeing his mother and father. If he hadn't met them previously in his mindscape, he probably would have been acting like total fanboy right at the moment. Thankfully he had grown up in leaps and bounds during the course of the war, and knew how to keep a straight face when he really needed to. It was perhaps a bit easier to deal with than it would have been otherwise considering he was currently older than his future father and mother. Of course, his screwed up DNA probably kept them from recognizing the similarity, too...

"Shall we move on?" He indicated the horizon, the sun was just now beginning to rise. "It looks like we won't be getting much sleep after all...

* * *

_(The next afternoon)_

As they reached the gates Naruto neary facepalmed from frustration. The return trip had been fairly uneventful; therein lie the problem. He'd felt his father's eyes boring into his back for most of the way, and while the two of them remained pleasant with one another, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd done something to irk him. Kushina, on the other hand, practically glowed. She'd kept him occupied the entire length of their travels and such, proving a welcome distraction and conversation.

It was almost like having a little sister.

While he knew rescuing Kushina had been the right decision, he still wondered if he should've waited, for his father or someone else to swoop in and save the day. He'd acted recklessly an without thinking, and possibly already altered events beyond his control. But no, his true frustration stemmed from the keen look both guards were giving him at the gate. Clearly they recognized Minato and Kushina, but Naruto...not so much? And well within good reason!

He'd been so wrapped up in his plans to change the future that he'd failed to recognize a fatal flaw in the present; _Naruto_ did not exist in Konoha. To make matters worse, he was still wearing his old hitiate! If someone were to stop him and ask who he was, if someone _did not_ recognize him, he was toast! Already, Kushina must've seen him squirm somehow; because he felt her gaze fall upon him.

"I...ah...didn't exactly have time to ask for _permission_ when I went after you." He whispered, lying through his teeth and scrubbing at the back of his head with a hand. "It was kind of a rush job." The kunoichi's cheeks promptly swelled a scintilating shade of scarlet. She stiffened her posture and flicked her eyes toward Naruto. She blinked. "Ahahaha...

"If you keep saying things like that, I'm going to fall for you...

"Did you say something?"

"N-Nothing!" Kushina spluttered. "Nothing at all!"

"You there!" the Anbu inclined its head curtly before him. "Lord Hokage wishes to speak with you regarding your retrieval of Uzumaki Kushina. Also, Mikoto-sama wishes me to inform you; she awaits your arrival at the earliest convenience. You are to come with us." Without another word, they turned and encircled him.

Kushina searched for her rescuer's eyes, but they stared fixedly at the ground before them, like cold, sharp onyx. She felt her chest twist uncomfortably at the sight. Whatever the Anbu had said must've badly rattled

_Mikoto-sama?_

Naruto's first instinct was to decry the words; to deny that he was an Uchiha. His second was to ask just who this Mikoto person was and what she wanted with him. His third and final decision was to take a deep breath and clear his mind. Compose himself. And above all...remain calm.

Hopefully his prescence in the past hadn't changed too much already...

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! Naruto finally sets foot in the village. However, the question remains; will he receive a warm welcome from the Uchiha? Or a cold one? To be honest, originally, I wanted t 2 go a different route with this, to have everyone in the village remember Naruto as an Uchiha, someone whom we know he is not. Then I realized that just wouldn't do at all; Naruto wants to be seen as himself, not someone he isn't.**

**Pairing is still up in the air, but Mikoto is most likely going to be involved, although I will gladly take any other recommendations that are offered. Kushina's falling for him! But the question does remain: will Naruto ever reciprocate her feelings? I'm leaning toward yes...in time... I may even include Tsunade, seeing as how the age gap has shrunk to almost nothing now.**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**Review...would you kindly? And enjoy the preview! Its a long-albeit disjointed-one! Consider it proof I fully intend to continue this story...**

**(Preview)**

"_Well, hello there handsome."_

_Naruto opened his eyes and turned in the direction where the voice had come from – only to come face to face with possibly the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen. He found himself peering into the coal-black eyes of another Uchiha; a lithe beauty with long, lustruous black hair and a body that, despite being clad in Konohagakure fatigues, would've made even Tsunade baa-chan green with envy. She smiled warmly and she strode to meet him, claiming the seat opposite him on the bar without so much as an invitation. There was a cool, aloof air about her, as though she existed solely to strike fear into the heart of others._

_He could appreciate that in a woman._

_"Have we met?" Naruto failed to bite back that inquiry before it could leave his lips; while he didn't know her, from her gaze, it was obvious the woman knew him._

_"No, we haven't." the kunoichi replied. "But I'm sure Kushina's told you all about me._

_?_

_"I'm Mikoto."_

_"Pity." She shrugged her shoulders. "Father won't like that. But thanks, for whatever its worth."_

_Naruto almost barked out a laugh before he realized the repercussions of his actions; instead of Minato saving his mother this time around, he'd been the one to do it. His actions weren't helping his case any! He had to calm down and think things through rationally from here on out. The slightest action could have untol repercussions in the future..._

_"Mikoto!" A male voice exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"_

_The smile shattered on Mikoto's face like so much glass. _

_Before Naruto could protest she looped an arm in his and drew dangerously close to him; bosom pressing into his arm. While he himself was surel no stranger to intimacy, he still felt a flush rise in his cheeks as she did this to him. He was, after all, only human. at her _

_"Play along." she hissed in his ear, mere moments before a stern looking man appeared via shusin._

_"What is the meaning of this, Mikoto?" he demanded._

_"What does it look like I'm doing, Fugaku?" She smiled, scooting closer to Naruto. "I thought I'd introduce myself to our long lost clansmen."_

_Naruto nearly dropped his chopsticks; he knew that name! In his youth before the massacre, he'd gotten into enough trouble to learn it well, having often found himself before the man's desk to be brought to the clan's so-called "justice" for his pranks. Just as he knew this man would someday be the father of Sasuke and Itachi. His left hand twitched with the sudden desire to kill this man, after what Sasuke had done, he'd be doing a world of good by ending his father's life._

_"This fool?" Fugaku scoffed. "He's no kin of ours! He just walks in here and claims to be one of us! For all we know he could be an enemy spy-_

_**Snick!**_

_He blinked in surprise as a thin red line opened across his cheek. Naruto retracetd his hand, having been the one to throw the kinife with deadly accuracy._

_"Care to run that by me again?_

_"Kami, I am so sick of him!" Mikoto groaned the moment he was out of earshot. "All he does is prattle on like an idiot!"_

_"He is an ass, isn't he?" Naruto muttered into his drink._

_Mikoto shook her head, raven tresses swaying from side to side._

_"That's not it...I'm the representative of the whole clan. If the clan is in a bad position, I must protect it. I'm an only child and my father isn't getting any younger...So the job of looking after the clan must be left to me...My father is the supervisor of that job so that's probably why he pays so much attention to me. But with conversations between us alone...Today, when Otou-san spoke with me, he spoke of you, and what you did for Kushina. You were bold. Reckless. Not a thing like Fugaku, not even in the slightest...and because of that...I think he's a bit jealous of you, frankly."._

_Naruto groaned._

_"Well, isn't that just lovely._

* * *

_"Katon." Fugaku snarled. "Goukakyuu no jutsu!"_

_Naruto balked as the stream of fire gushed toward him._

_Unbidden the memory was there, hand signs and all. Naruto reeled as a wealth of information flooded his mind; it was as if every jutsu Madara had ever seen, ever mastered, was now his own. And he knew just which one to use. Steeling himself, he drew in a deep breath, kneading the chakra in his stomach, giving it shape and form. If one wanted to extinguish a flame...they need only give rise to an even more powerful inferno, by which they might overwhelm and extinguish it!_

_Fugaku must've sensed the sudden movement of chakra; because his eyes bulged._

_"That's-_

_"Katon." Naruto spat. "Goka Mekkyaku!" **(Great Fire Annihilation)**_

_He exhaled mightily, expelling all the chakra he'd been stoking in his lungs._

**R&R! =D**


	3. Bad Blood

**A/N: Wow! So many reviews! I had no idea ya'll liked this story that much! And to those who worried at Naruto having only one tomoe in his sharingan and the potential/eventual loss of his vision, due to the Mangekyo fear not. Its all part of the plan. A brilliant plan that does NOT involve blindness; one that will unfold over the course of this story; one I sincerely hope you enjoy! While we're at it, I'll address/confirm the age discrepancy as well. Naruto, being postwar, at the moment, seventeen years old, nearing eighteen; making him two years older than Kushina, who is _fifteen_. **

**Mikoto...hmm...since she was cannonically older than Kushina, I think its safe to assume she's around Naruto's current age. And for the third and final matter: Naruto's maturity. Naturally, he may be a bit shellshocked in the beginning, but he isn't going to be a naive blockhead in this story. Circumstances are going to force him to grow up; he knows he's been sent back for a purprose, so do not expect him to pussyfoot around when it comes to killing his enemies/fixing the mistakes of the past. I'm still not sure exactly whether he'll be all that merciful when he meets a young Obito...**

**Now that we've addressed allthose issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten more than 100 reviews for the first chapter alone and now its so damn high I could cry with joy! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys! And with that...**

**...onto the next chapter! =D I'm also going to address a slight discrepancy here; whether or not Naruto will cease to exist if Minato and Kushina don't get together! Major credit to Paradox Jast for the awesome inspiration his story lent me!**

_"Unto all things, there is always an end. And a beginning. Always a beginning..."_

_~?_

**Bad Blood**

_'Everything will be fine, everything will be fine, everything will be fine..._

Naruto chanted the words like a mantra in his head as he drew nearer and nearer to the Hokage's office, Anbu honour guard in tow. More like an escort. The old man probably didn't want him bolting the first chance he got. Naruto didn't blame them. After all he _had _shown up with little to-no warning, rescued their jinchuuriki, brought her back the to the village, and then marched right in their front door. It certainly didn't help that he was dressed like a Leaf Shinobi. Kami, he was going to have fun explaining that one.

Even moreso his newfound appearance.

On one hand, he could simply have them bring in a Yamanaka-was Inoichi around at this point?-to examine his mind and memories; on the other hand, Naruto wasn't all that certain he _wanted_ to reveal whether he was from the future just yet. Already his prescence here had far-reaching complications; he was painfully aware just how incredibly he'd might've fucked things up between his parents by rescuing Kushina before Minato had a chance to intervene.

But that was why he was here, wasn't it? To change things; prevent the future from ever coming to pass...

_Not if you erase yourself from existence in the process, baka yarou!_ his common sense smacked him upside the head. Naruto cringed at the thought. Although...it also made him wonder. What would've happened if his mother and father never got together to begin with? Well, he wouldn't exist, for starters. And if he never existed, then Obito never attacked the Leaf. And if Obito never attacked the Leaf_-argh!_ Major headache! Naruto frowned, his pace slowing almost imperceptibly as he mulled the matter over. His guards didn't like that. Not one bit.

"Keep moving, outsider." One of the Anbu elbowed him in the back, forcing him to keep up. Naruto bit back a growl and vailiantly fought the urge to Rasengan the man and the rest of his squad into a nearby wall. Ohh and it would've been so easy, too! But if he pulled a stunt like that now, he was liable to get himself thrown out of the village before he even had a chance to explain why he was here.

_And just how am I going to explain that, anyway? _he wondered.

He did his best as they drew close, mentally preparing himself for what lay on the other side. No fainting? Check. No spazzing out? Check. Cold sweat? Check! Just as he was about to set foot into the ofifce and prepare himself for the lie of a lifetime-and possibly the most epic fail in existence-a cold hand settled upon his shoulder.

**"Hold, mortal."**

The Uchiha nearly jumped out of his skin! Because there, hovering before him in the black, was a face he'd hoped to never, _ever_ see again. The Shinigami. Naruto opened his mouth to voice a reply, only to realize the guards around him had ceased moving. Everything had ceased. Time itself had stopped, the colors of the world having faded to a grim black and white. They were alone, frozen here in this moment of time. Thousands of thoughts ricocehted in his mind, countless words sought to leave his lips as those dread eyes peered out at him from within macabre grin. In the end he settle for one.

_"YOU?!" _

The reaper inclined its head minutely.

**"Well met, my emissary."**

_That_ brought Naruto up short.

"Wait, what?" he frowned, at not just at his newfound title. "You still remember me?"

His reply was met with a frown and a snort.

**"I am the god of death, boy. Did you not think I would leave you unsupervised when the fate of the entire world is at stake?"**

"Well, kinda...

Snorting, the shinigami shoot its head, even then those eerie eyes never left his; not even for a minute.

**"I thought I ought to inform you of something before you continue on your quest. And before I speak, I should caution you; do not panic." **it paused for a moment, and when it finally spoke, its response was stern, almost stoic in its reply.** "The 'you' as you know yourself_...has already ceased to exist."_**

There was a silence. When Naruto didn't vanish from existencce, a low growl left his lips.

_"You wanna run that by me again, buddy?"_

**"Silence!"** the reaper reprimanded, its tone strident. **"By altering your DNA, you no longer exist as Uzumaki Naruto. Rather, you are an Uchiha. You already know this. What you do _not_ know is thus; all traces of your former self were eradicated the moment I first laid my power upon you in limbo."**

Naruto blanched. He didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Please tell me that doesn't mean what I think it means."

Shinigami nodded.

**"The old you may yet still be born in this timeline, but any effect his existence might have had upon you has been nullified, my emissary."** At Naruto's continued silence, the grim sighed.** "Perhaps I am over-explaining. Allow me to simplify. Say something foul were to befall Uzumaki Kushina; that she were to die say, at the hands of an enemy shinobi. Were that to happen, even were your mother to perish, and those last traces of your old self eradicated, the 'you' as you now know yourself would still continue on. To exist. Do you understand?"**

He could feel a headache coming on, but the Uzumaki-turned-Uchiha nodded anyway.

"Just what the hell did you do to me?" Naruto hissed. "Not just my face, not just my DNA, but even my destiny...I barely recognize myself anymore!"

**"I made a wager against fate; I believe you mortals call it a gamble."** The reaper chortled then; it was a deep, throaty sound. **"You truly are a unique existence. Your mind and your memories belong to you still, but should another try to pry into those memories, and I suspect the fools of this era soon will, they will see what the you of 'this' time has seen, false memories indistinguishable from a true experience, bequeathed to that body you now possess. You may wish to thank me for this gift. But know this!" **Those golden eyes semeed to brighten at that moment, glowing with eerie intent as the death god loomed closer, its breath cold as ice upon his face. **"You must keep who you truly are, a secret. I shudder to think what might happen if the timeline comes unraveled anymore than it already has...**

"Are you sure I can't just kill myself and be done with it?" The blonde growled, placing a hand to his now throbbing temple. "It's beginning to sound a helluva lot more simple-

**_"YOU WILL NOT!"_ **The shinigami's voice was like a thunderclap in his ears.** "I have not bargained my very being on this gamble only to have you end your life a second time!"**

"Alright, alright!" Naruto sighed. "Loosen up and take a joke will ya, reaper?"

**"I do not 'loosen up' in my business."** It replied. **"Now, you are going to be questioned. Interrogated."**

**"No, really?" **His deadpann was arely concealed.

**"Silence!" **Shinigami snapped back.** "Now, listen well."**

**"This is what you are going to say...**

* * *

Naruto gulped as the Shinigami finished its explanation. That had to be the. most. fucked. up. lie. EVER.

"You do realize I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, right?"

**"I am well aware."** the reaper retorted as the colors of the world began to return, the flow of time moving inexorably ever onward.** "And I trust you to succeed."**

Before he could reply the shinigami was gone, leaving him alone with his escort. Thankfully, neither seemed to have noticed the little time lapse. One of them shoved him towards the doors a tad too roughly; snickering as the blonde stumbled toward the office. He did his best to push all thoughts of revenge from his mind, refusing to show weakness in the face of these fools.

_"_Here goes nothing!"

Naruto tapped softly on the door with his fist and announced his prescence.

"Come in."

Upon hearing a very familiar voice that he had not heard in so long – without the scratch of old age either – Naruto couldn't stop the pinpricks of tears that began to form in the corners of his eyes. He let out a barking laugh as he stepped inside, "Haha... that you, old man?"

"I don't believe I'm quite that old yet," the voice answered, "but if you recognize me before I've introduced mysself, I probably am who you think I am."

He found himself staring at a pair of familiar faces, –one minus the liver spots and gray hair–and another which he immediately recognized and gravitated towards. He would've recognized her anyway even without the jounin attire and hitiate; even so he knew those yes, that hair-that bust!-just about anywhere. Even so, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"Baa-chan?!

_"W-What did you just call me, punk?!"_

The young woman-she couldn't be more than twenty_-MAYBE twenty five-_bristled angrily at his remark. Naruto had just enough time to register the remark before she cannoned forward, fingers clenched into a fist. Less than a day ago, that punch would've hit him. Now...his Uchiha blood sang at the sight of her attack, at the sound of battle. She seemed to slow in his peripheal vision, as though she were moving underwater. He wasn't quite sure when he moved-or how for that matter-only that he did, drifting forwards even as the door shattered to timbers behind his back. Kami, but she was so slow. Or was he simply faster now?

"Oi!"

Whatever the case she proved no match for him; his fingers locked around her wrist in a vice and gave a sharp twist, breaking the bone like a twig. _Snick!_ She gasped in pained surprise but Naruto was still moving, sweeping her legs out from beneath, forcing her to the floor with a strength he didn't know he had. Even as she tried to struggle his fingers found her throat. Tsunade froze, eyes bulging. Because this was Tsunade, younger than he remembered her-this was the past after all-but still the future fifth Hokage nonetheless. And he'd just beaten her in unarmed combat.

It all happened so swiftly.

"Ah!" Realizing his mistake, he swiftly jerked backwards, leaving a baffled Tsunade gawping up at him. "My apologies. I tend to react like that when someone attacks me. Sorry about calling you that too," he continued, at the murderous glint in her gaze. "Must've mistook you for someone else." He held out a hand for he and slowly, warily, she accepted it.

"I certainly hope so," Tsunade said with eerie calm as she pressed a hand to her broken wrist, livid honey eyes bored into her future successor. "Because whoever you are, if you _ever _say that to me again-

"No no!" Naruto waved his hands rapidly and performed a perfunctory bow. "It was a mistake! My bad!"

"If you're quite done harraunging him Tsunade," Sarutobi's gravely voice interjected, "I'd like to speak with our guest. Alone."

"But sensei-!"

_"Dismissed!"_

Tsunade looked as though she might say something else, might protest for a final time, but in the end, she resigned herself to a silent retreat-tending to her battered arm as she departed. Naruto turned to regard the Hokage as his fellow blonde gave them their silence. He was acting rather strange. Funny, he didn't remember the old man being quite this stern back in the day. The thought brought a frown to his lips. Had he made yet another mistake already?

"You are Sarutobi Hiruzen, right?"

"You would be correct." The sandaime replied, steepling his fingers together. "The problem remains, however, that I do not know who _you_ are. Let us begin with what we _do_ know, then." His aging face seemed to tense as Naruto looked on, his old eyes turning harsh and stern. "First; you retrieved Uzumaki Kushina from enemy forces at great peril to yourself and returned her to this village, safe and sound. For this, you have my most sincere gratitude. Second, for some reason or another you're impersonating a Konoha shinobi; because I've never seen you before in my life. Third; judging by your appearance, and that little stunt you just pulled back there with my student, you are undoubtedly an Uchiha which also strikes me as strange; because, for lack of a better term, you don't seem to have that proverbial stick up your ass. Have I missed anything?"

"Nope." Naruto had to forcibly sink teeth into his lower lip to keep himself laughing at the last. "I think you've just about covered everything and anything."

"Not quite." Sarutobi fixed him with a steely gaze. "There is still the matter of who you are and what you want. Now, because you've chosen to be courteous to me, I shall extend the same courteousy to you. I will ask you one final time. Who. Are. You?"

Naruto dithered a moment longer, wondering just how much he ought to reveal. He'd already altered events by saving his mother, who was to say what would happen if he revealed he was from the future? Slowly the jounin opened his eyes, letting the gathered teardrops run down the side of his face towards his ears. Just what the hell was he going to do? Even if they did believe his story, there was no way in hell they'd accept his change in appearace. At the least, they'd throw him in a mental hospital. At worst, they'd condemn him to death. The shinigami's explanation rang through his mind once more.

**"This is what you are going to say...**

He felt his eyes begin to burn again. He knew what answer he had to give.

"Do you know the name Uchiha Madara?"

There was a silence. When the Third next spoke, there was an audible edge to his words.

"Surely you're not claiming to be...?"

"Psh!"

Naruto snorted and waved the sandaime's concern's aside. There could be no taking his words back now; the only way out was forward. "Of course I'm not Madara! I'd have to be like a hundred years old!" Much to his own consternation he steeled himself, drew a deep breath, and continued the lie; continued to weave this fine, delicate tapestry of falsehood.

...I'm his descendant."

"What...?"

"Did I stutter?" Naruto forced a tough of arrogance into his voice-easy enough when you knew someone like Sasuke-and watched the words work their magic. "Uchiha Madara is my grandfather. I am of his blood. Must I demonstrate myself further?"

Sarutobi paled and promptly crossed himself. Twice. Naruto watched a myriad of emotions flicker across his face. A descendant of that man, standing here before them? Now that he looked, the man did bear a passing resemblance to the legendary Uchiha...but no. That couldn't be possible. Madara didn't have any descendants-unless he'd fathered a child before being slain by Hashirama and the Valley of End. And if he had, if such a child had grown and produced yet another child...

He slammed the lid shut on that train of thought before it could consume him.

"I'm afraid I'll need more proof than your word-

"See is believing, after all." Naruto sighed and released chakra into his coal black eyes-awakening the bloodline bestowed upon him. Sarutobi stiffened as the Sharingan abruptly emerged- its triple tomoe swirling fiercly angrily in each eye. Naruto bit back a grimance of his own once he beheld his reflection in the sandaime's slate grey stare. Madara's eyes were still evolving. Rapidly. Would he unlock the Mangekyo at this rate, and lose his eyesight before he could accomplish his goal? He hoped not.

"Those eyes." Hiruzen visibly swallowed, as though he'd seen something in them Naruto had not. "I-I see." Gathering himself up with an effort, he forced himself back to the table once more. "Why have you come here then, after all this time? Surely you could've left Kushina at the gate-I mean," At Naruto's thunderous expression he was quick to ammend himself, "You must've had a life outside these walls...

"My father recently passed on." Another lie. "But before he did, he told me that all Uchiha were welcome here, and as I find myself growing lonely, I decided to stay. Is that a problem?"

"Not at all." Sarutobi seemed to welcome this change of topic with open arms. "If you wish to come into the Hidden Leaf, that can be arranged. But onto other matters."

"Where did you get the headband?" he asked.

"This?" Naruto pretended to consider the hitiate for a moment. "It was passed down to me. A trophy of sorts."

"I'll have to have someone validate that." A small smile etched across his visage, like a crack scrawling across stone. "But if you're telling the truth, I'd be more than willing to welcome you into our village." He rose out of his chair and pulled up a seat. "You may wish to make yourself comfortable then, stranger. You may be here quite awhile."

"My name is Naruto." At last he thought to himself, some truth!

"Naruto, then." Sarutobi confirmed. "I'll have someone come by to collect you shortly."

"As you wish." Naruto replied slowly, choosing his words with the utmost of care. "Send a Yamanaka to pick my brain. I have nothing to hide...

* * *

_(Hours later)_

Some hours later, Naruto chewed on his bottom lip as he wandered through the streets of Konoha. It had been a long time since he had been able to walk through the village like this, especially since it had first been destroyed back when he was sixteen. They had done a very good job rebuilding it, but it just hadn't been the same. Especially once it was destroyed the second time.

Another thing that had slightly unnerved him at first was seeing so many Uchiha. He hadn't gotten around to figuring out how he would prevent the massacre yet, but it would still be years before that would happen, at the very least. On the other hand, that made it of utmost importance that he try to convince the Hokage to get the Uchiha to merge with the village more than they currently were, lest they risked alienating themselves even further in the future.

And then there was the matter of Tobi and Uchiha Madara, not to mention_...ouch!_

Naruto touched a hand to his head and fought to keep from cringing. His head was still throbbing-a side effect of having his "memories" so thoroughly inspected. As the Shinigami had said, that which was seen were not the memories of Uzumaki Naruto, but _Uchiha_ Naruto. Who would've thought the god of death could do such a thing? Not him! It still riled him to be seen as an Uchiha, when-at least on the inside-he remained an Uzumaki. By kami this was going to take some getting used to.

Humming as he walked along, he got the occasional glance from villagers, some of whom would give him a small nod of acknowledgment and maybe a smile before continuing on their business. Others-many of them Uchiha-scowled at him, likely due to their inherent suspicion of Uchiha Madara. Now that he'd claimed to be the man's descendant, it was only natural that suspiscion be abound. Yet another big difference– previously he was either completely ignored or treated like a celebrity, especially after Pain's attack. This right now was a happy, if not nice, medium.

_'I guess I could get used to this.'_

He rubbed at an itch on his arm, not used to having them sheathed in long sleeves like they currently were. The Hokage had gotten him a small apartment to use and a few sets of standard jonin clothing, along with a few sleeveless vests and the standard jonin jacket. The outfit was similar to that which most ANBU wore, but he currently didn't have a mask or arm-guards-that lofty station was well beyond his reach at present, after all, he'd only just been allowed into the village-after the Hokage revealed him to half the damn populace!-and he was fairly certain his goals, didn't include joining the infamous black ops anytime soon. As for now, he'd be more than happy with a warm meal of-

Ramen!

The scent of it caught his nose, causing his head to snap back around.

He spun about, seeking it source...

There, standing in all its early glory, Ichiraku Ramen.

"One miso ramen, please!" it was all he could do to keep the grin from his face as he rushed inside and took a seat. All his strength was focused on preventing his knees from knocking together as he awaited his long-favored treat. The chef took his order and ducked back behind the curtain, leaving the Uzumaki-turned-Uchiha to wait impatiently for his food. Seconds passed. Then minutes. Finally, just as he was about to check on him, a voice prickled at his ear.

"Well, hello there handsome."

Naruto opened his eyes and turned in the direction where the voice had come from – only to come face to face with possibly the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen. He found himself peering into the coal-black eyes of another Uchiha; a lithe beauty with long, lustruous black hair and a body that-despite being clad in Konohagakure fatigues-would've made even Tsunade baa-chan green with envy. She smiled warmly as she strode to meet him, claiming the seat opposite him on the bar without so much as an invitation. There was a cool, aloof air about her, as though she existed solely to strike fear into the heart of others. He could appreciate it, in a woman, but there was something about this one that instantly put him on guard.

_Dangerous._

"Have we met?" Naruto failed to bite back that inquiry before it could leave his lips; while he didn't know her, from her gaze, it was obvious the woman knew him.

"No, we haven't." the kunoichi replied. "But I'm sure Kushina's told you all about me."

"?"

"I'm Mikoto." she continued, pausing, peering at him.

"I honestly have no idea who you are." Naruto shook his head.

"Pity." She rolled her shoulders. "Father won't like that. But thanks for being polite, for whatever its worth. That aside, I understand I have you to thank for saving my best friend earlier."

Naruto almost barked out a laugh before he realized the repercussions of his actions; instead of Minato saving his mother this time around, he'd been the one to do it. His actions weren't helping his case any! He had to calm down and think things through rationally from here on out. The slightest action could have untold repercussions in the future...

"As a matter of fact-

"Mikoto!" A male voice exclaimed, cutting him off. "There you are!"

The smile shattered on Mikoto's face like so much glass.

Before Naruto could protest she looped an arm in his and drew dangerously close to him; bosom pressing into his arm. While he himself was surel no stranger to intimacy, he still felt a flush rise in his cheeks as she did this to him. He was, after all, only human. And those breasts pressing against him...

"Play along." she hissed in his ear, mere moments before a stern looking man appeared via shusin. Once again, Naruto felt that faint sense of deja vu. He'd seen this man somewhere before. But where?

"What is the meaning of this, Mikoto?" the man demanded. "What _are_ you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, Fugaku?" She smiled, scooting closer to Naruto. "I thought I'd introduce myself to our long lost clansmen."

Naruto nearly dropped his chopsticks; he knew that name! In his youth before the massacre, he'd gotten into enough trouble to learn it well, having often found himself before the man's desk to be brought to the clan's so-called "justice" for his pranks. Just as he knew this man would someday be the father of Sasuke and Itachi. His left hand twitched with the sudden desire to kill this man, after what Sasuke had done, he'd be doing a world of good by ending his father's life.

"This fool?" Fugaku scoffed, scowling at Naruto. "He's no kin of ours, regardless of what lord Hokage says. Anyone with dark hair and black eyes can waltz in here and claim to be one of us! But what proof does he have I wonder? For all we know he could be an enemy spy-

**Snick!**

He blinked in surprise as a thin red line opened across his cheek, spilling crimson down his collar. Naruto retracted his hand back onto the counter, having been the one to throw the kinife with deadly accuracy. His eyes narrowed upon Fugaku; his sharingan must've activated somehow, because the man visibly flinched when he met his gaze.

"Care to run that by me again? he hissed.

"You don't frighten me, outsider." The Uchiha snapped back. "An no-class like you is nothing."

_No-class?_

"Is that so?" Naruto quipped, detaching himself from Mikoto, swiveling to face the man. "Then why does it look like you're about to piss your pants?" He had the succinct satisfaction of hearing Mikoto's laughter-why did that sound bring such perverse pleasure to him anyway-and his grin only grew as he beheld his adversary's reaction.

Fugaku's face flared five different shades of red.

"Y-You dare?!"

"Oh, I dare!" The former blonde was rising from his stool now, ramen completely forgotten in the wake of his anger. "What are you going to do about it, little man?" Ah...the sweet irony of it all. As an adult, Naruto was a good head and shoulders taller than Fugaku, towering over him like a giant. To think he'd once feared this man in his youth! There was nothing he could do to hurt him now; he was invincible. Untouchable. And if this belligerent fool thought he stood a chance in hell he'd probably try and-

"Training ground seven." The words were little more than a snarl. "This evening. With Mikoto-sama as my witness I will prove just how worthless you are before the clan, worm."

"I'm shaking in my sandals." Naruto growled, knowing the man had just made a fatal mistake.

Withtou another word, Fugaku rounded on his heel and vanished in a shushin.

_"Kami, _I am so _sick_ of him!" Mikoto groaned the moment he was out of earshot. "All he does is prattle on and preen like a complete idiot! The clan this, the clan that! He's not even the heir and he goes on about it more than I do for god's sake!" Sighing, she pressed her head to the counter, as though she could somehow bury her woes there.

"He _is_ an ass, isn't he?" Naruto muttered into his drink. _Just like Sasuke,_ he added to himself.

Mikoto shook her head at that, raven tresses swaying from side to side.

"That's not it...I'm the representative of the whole clan. If the clan is in a bad position, I must protect it. I'm an only child and my father isn't getting any younger...So the job of looking after the clan must be left to me...My father is the supervisor of that job so that's probably why he pays so much attention to me. But with conversations between us alone...Today, when Otou-san spoke with me, he spoke of you, and what you did for Kushina. You were bold. Reckless. Not a thing like Fugaku, not even in the slightest...and because of that...I think he's a bit jealous of you, frankly."

"Me?"

Mikoto nodded.

"A long lost descendant of Uchiha Madara...who wouldn't be jealous of you?" She nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "So? Are you going to accept his challenge?"

Naruto's frown flipped itself upside down.

"You bet your pretty little ass I am!"

Her onyx gaze pinnioned him.

"You know...its a good thing you're cute."

His grin was positively beatific.

"I try."

* * *

_(That evening)_

"Are you prepared, fool?"

"Hai hai, I'm quite ready to kick your ass."

Fugaku's expression turned murderous.

"You worm!"

Naruto stifled a yawn as his so-called rival spewed yet another vitriolic retort. This was getting old. When were they going to start? The sun was just beginning to settle in for the vening, casting their grounds in seven shades of flame. An unbidden breeze blew through his tattered black locks, stirring the dead leaves at his feet and wiping them up into a frenzy. He watched them blow away, fluttering across the horizon until even his newfound eyes could no longer track them.

Reluctantly, he allowed his sight to track across the remainder of the clearing.

Fugaku had been good on his word. There were at least several dozen clan members crowded into the training grounds, each eager to see him succeed...or fail. The latter wouldn't be happen. He didn't recognize any of them...but then again, he'd only ever really known Sasuke and Itachi. Mikoto, as heir to the clan, stood at the forefront with her father; a large, grizzled old man who looked as though he'd seen more than his fair share of missions in his time. But it was the former who stepped forward, took her place between them. She looked positively regal in her kimono-the fabric a dark shade of dusk-almost as if she were in mourning. Her visage was anything but. She seemed almost...pleased?

"Uchiha Naruto." When she spoke her tone was solemn, bordering on reverent. "Fugaku has challenged your claim as Uchiha. Do you accept this challenge?"

Naruto grinned.

"Hell yes." He was going to enjoy this!

A slight smile lifted her lips.

"Very well."

Nodding, she turned to face the latter.

"Uchiha Fugaku. Do you swear by the clan to fight with all your-

"Hai." he cut her off midsentence, already inhaling.

Mikoto scowled and took a sharp step backwards, returning to her father's side.

"Then...begin!"

_"Katon." _Fugaku snarled, expelling a great stream of flame._ "Goukakyuu no jutsu!"_

Naruto scoffed and made to move; instead he balked as the stream of fire gushed toward him-why couldn't he move?! Why-

_Ah._

Unbidden the memory was there, hand signs and all. Naruto reeled as a wealth of information flooded his mind; it was as if every jutsu Madara had ever seen, ever mastered, was now his own. And he knew just which one to use. Steeling himself, he drew in a deep breath, kneading the chakra in his stomach, giving it shape and form. If one wanted to extinguish a flame...they need only give rise to an even more powerful inferno, by which they might overwhelm and extinguish it!

Fugaku must've sensed the sudden upswing of chakra; because his eyes bulged.

"That's-

_"Katon." _Naruto spat, grinning from ear to ear. _"Goka Mekkyaku!"_

He exhaled mightily, expelling all the chakra he'd been stoking in his lungs. The great fireball found itself snuffed out; easily extinguished before the rising inferno as it roiled forward. Into Fugaku. The elder Uchiha had just enough time to realize his folly before the blaze overtook his position, swallowing him whole. No! his mind railed against this sudden turnabout, fought the realization, the knowledge that he had more than severely underestimated this newcomer, this descendant of Uchiha Madara

_Pain._

Fugaku's last sight was of the torrent of flame rushing towards him-his last smell that of charred flesh, his own flesh...

...then the black of unconsciousness took him.

**A/N: And there you have it! Naruto finally sets foot in the village. It took me a DAMN long time to figure out how I wanted to present the Hokage scene, and with this, I can say that I am finally at last, satisfied. Poor Naruto though! No one sees him for what he really is, and more and more he's losing pieces of himself. He remembers what he once was but more and more he's starting to see just how much a mess he's walked into. And Fugaku got-puts sunglasses on-BUUUUUUUURNED!**

**Pairing is still up in the air, but Mikoto is most likely going to be involved, although I will gladly take any other recommendations that are offered. Mikoto's falling for him! But the question does remain: will Naruto ever reciprocate her feelings? I'm leaning toward yes...in time... I may even include Tsunade, seeing as how the age gap has shrunk to almost nothing now.**

**So...in the immortal words of Atlas...**

**Review...would you kindly? **

**Translation:**

**"Goka Mekkyaku!=****(Great Fire Annihilation)**

**R&R! =D**


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